Home > News > “IT’S A BEAUTIFUL DAY FOR A NEIGHBOR; WON’T YOU BE MINE?” GO LOCAL FOR HEALTH: THE SOUTH MOUNTAIN HEALTH SUMMIT

“IT’S A BEAUTIFUL DAY FOR A NEIGHBOR; WON’T YOU BE MINE?” GO LOCAL FOR HEALTH: THE SOUTH MOUNTAIN HEALTH SUMMIT

Neighborhoods all across the nation are starting a human quest toward wellness with rails to trails, community gardens, recycling and state parks accessible to most. Given this national campaign, why do people with mental health challenges die decades earlier than the general population? Many point to the observable: smoking, obesity, psychotropic medications and lack of exercise. What we tend to overlook is that when people live below the poverty level, candy bars, chips and fast food are cheaper than fruits, vegetables and fresh fish. And where are the grocery stores in inner city poverty areas anyway? Convenience stores are on every street corner. What we tend to overlook is that Gina Calhoun (The Copeland Center) shared her personal story of mental health recovery after 17 years of back-to-back institutionalization and escaping from Harrisburg State Hospital to live on the streets. Calhoun highlighted that people with mental health challenges often feel “apart from” rather than “a part of” their neighborhood and live in social isolation, and went on to explore the link of mental health to healthy eating, exercise, and access to the outdoors.

The South Mountain Partnership is managed as a public-private partnership by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.

This website was financed in part by a grant from the Community Conservation Partnerships Program, the Environmental Stewardship Fund, under the administration of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation.